Wired-edge box-strapping.



G. U. D. MILLER.

WIRED EDGE BOX STRAPPING.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 1, 1912.

1,1 33,814. Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

WITNESSES INVENTOR TED STATES PA 1% FFKQE.

GEORGE C. D. MILLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO CARY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WIRED-EDGE BOX-STRAPPING.

Application filed August 1, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE C. D. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful \i ired-Edge Box-Strapping, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a box strap embodying several features of novelty, among which may be mentioned, first, the provision of a wire along both margins of the strap, with the edges of said strap curled over said wires, and, second, constructing the strap in sections, each section having a tongue overlapping and united to the end of an adjacent section and with wires positioned near the edges of the tongue, and preferably in contact therewith, and having the metal of the strip at such edges curled over the wires.

lieretofore it has been proposed to proride wires at the longitudinal edges of a box strao, but in such construction the edges of the strap overlapped practically the whole face of the strap, and, further, owing to folding over the lapping ends, four thick nesses of metal resulted at the joints, thereby precluding the manufacture of such strapping by machinery. The four thicknesses of metal at the joints, moveover, rendered the strap too bulky and rigid for gen eral use. In the present construction, however, the provision of the tongue necessitates only a double thickness of metal at the joints in the strap. it has been proposed in the prior art also, to employ tongues at the joints of the strapping, but not, however, in conjunction with wired edges. Accordingly, the joints were not only weak, but there beingnothing to hold the end edge of the tongue in place, it would turn up, particularly when the oints happen to-coine over the corner of a box, a serious disadvantage in that it left a projecting sharp edge which would cut the hands of the workmen or others handling the the boxes.

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages referred to, and others, and embodies a simple and efficient construction, and one which can be expeditiously and eco nomically manufactured by machinery.

Further features of the invention, and the advantages thereof, will appear from the following detailed description.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Serial No. 712,650.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction shown therein is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a box strapping embodying this invention, said view being enlarged. Fig. 2 is longitudinal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through the box strapping, the plane of the section being indicated by the dotted line 2--2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section on an enlarged scale, the plane of the section being indicated by the dotted line 33 of Fi g. 1. Fig. i is a similar vertical cross section on the plane indicated by the dottedline "E i of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detailed perspecti view, illustrating the method of assembling the sections composing the strap and showing the strap in the process of its manufacture, which involves the operations of positioning the wires into contact with the respective side edges of the tongues and the curling of the edges of the sheet metal sections upon the wires, and without any substantial overlap between the curled edges and the sheet metal sections.

The box strap of this invention is composed mainly of sheet metal sections A, B, (l. and longitudinally extending wires D, E. The sections A, B, C, are each composed of sheet metal of a required thickness or gage, each sheet metal section being of suitable length and width, but in producing the sheet metal section, it should be noted that the width of the section at the time of cutting it is somewhat greater than the width of the section as it appears in the completed box strap, the reason for which will hereinafter appear.

A salient feature of the invention consists in the provision of a tongue a, on each section at one end thereof, see Fig. t will be understood that the sheet metal section is cut or otherwise formed to produce the tongue a on one end, only, of the section, the width of said tongue (4 being less than the width of the section. After producing the sections with the tongues thereon, said sections are assembled in end to end order, with the tongue a of one section overlapping the squared end of the next section. The sections are united by suitable means, and, preferably, under pressure for the purpose of bringing the squared end of one section into contacting engagement with the shoulders producing on the end of the next section having the tongue. The sections are secured rigidly together by suitable means, such, for example, as by the rivet b, said rivet passing through the metal of the tongue a on one section and the metal of the squared end portion of the next section; but it is not desired to limit the invention to the use of rivets in uniting the sections together, for the reason that said sections may be united by other means.

The sheet metal sections having been produced, assembled and united substantially as described to produce an embryo strap of a definite length, the next step consists in positioning the wires D, E, lengthwise of the sheet metal and near the respective side edges thereof. In this connection, it is desired to call attention to the fact that said wires extend for practically the length of the strap, and that they occupy a peculiar relation to the tongue at, between the sections, to wit: The wires are within the edges of the sheet metal strap and in contact with the side edges of the tongue a, the relation of the wires to the edges of the tongues being clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5.

Subsequent to the operation of positioning the wires in their proper accurate relation to the sheet metal sections, and to the tongues thereof, the next step consists in curling the edges of the sheet metal sections over and upon the wires, whereby the wires are incased within the curled edges of the sheet metal sections, substantially shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It will be observed that one edge of the sheet metal is curled in one direction, as at c, for the purpose of in casing the wire E, whereas the other edge of the sheet metal section is curled in the op posite direction, as at (Z, so as to incase the other wire D; but it is to be noted that the metal is curled to an extent, only, sufli cient to incase the wires. While the metal is curled over so that the edges are in 0011- tact with the face of the strap, or substantially so, as shown in Figs. 3 and at, it is to be noted that there is no substantial overlap between the curled edges 0, (Z, of the strap and the face of said strap, the metal being turned over ust sufficient to incase the wires.

It will be noted that in producing the tongue on the end portion of each section, the metal is cut away in order to produce the tongue, thus practically notching the end of the metal section at the respective sides of the tongue. The extent of the overlap between adjacent sections, such as A, B, or B, C, is equal to the length of the tongue, and when pressure is applied in order to head or upset the rivet b, the tongue and .the section overlapped thereby, are so forcibly pressed together as to bring the shoulders at the respective sides of the tongue, into an abutting engagement with the squared end of the next section. The sections are thus united in end to end order, so as to leave but one thickness of metal at the respective sides of the tongue, notwithstanding the overlapping of the tongue with the next section, and this is an important factor in the practical manufacture of the strap, for the reason that in curling the edges of the sheet metal at the joints between the sections, the bending rolls are not required to operate upon a double thickness of metal.

In the practical.manufacture of the box strap, the sheet metal sections are united as herein described, and these sections with the two wires'are fed continuously to the bending or flanging rolls, said rolls being set or adjusted to curl the two edges 0, (Z of the metal strap simultaneously upon the wires. Tosecure the best results in operation, these bending or flanging rolls are accurately adjusted to curl over one thickness of metal, and in the strap of the present invention, said bending or fianging rolls are enabled to act uniformly, accurately and continuously, for the reason that said rolls are re quired only to bend a single thickness of metal at all points in the-length of the strap. It ismanifest that in the absence. of the tongues and notches, the two ends of adjacent sections would overlap equally and thus the bending or flanging rolls, when operating upon the joints between the sections, would be required to operate upon two thicknesses of metal. This the rolls cannot do without requiringa separate adjustment, but, in the strap of the present invention, there connection with the drawings, it is appar cut that the wires extend continuously of the sheet metal, across the joints of the sheet metal sections, and in contact with the respective side edges of the tongues. Furthermore, the edges of the sheet metal are curled over the wires continuously in the length of the strap, for the purpose of incasing said wires, and of retaining them permanently and accurately in their predetermined positions with reference to the joints and tongues of the strap. Manifestly, the employment of the wires substantially increasesthe tensile strength of the strap, so that metal of thin gage and Wires of small diameter can be employed advantageously in the manufacture of the strap, thereby securing economy of manufacture with the marked increase in the strength of the resulting product.

In addition to the primary function of increasing the strength of the strap, the wires secure another marked advantage, to wit: They engage with the tongues of the sheet metal sections in a manner to prevent the end edges of the tongues from bending up out of the plane of the strap. Ordinary box strapping, composed of sections united together, is open to the objection that the end edges of the sheet metal sections are liable to bend or curl up, particularly should the strap be bent at one of the joints around the corner of the box. This leaves a ragged edge which is liable to cut the hands of the operator, in applying the strap to the box, or when handling the box in transportation. In the present invention, however, this liability of the end edge of the tongue to bend up out of the plane of the strap is entirely overcome by the employment of the wires which engage with the respective side edges of the tongue in such a manner as to preclude any displacement of the end edges of the tongues relative to the faces of the sheet metal sections.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. As a new article of manufacture, a box strap consisting of imited sections of metal, each of said sections having a tongue at one end of less width than the end of the adjacent section to which it is united, and longitudinally extending wires positioned within the respective curled edges of said strip and contiguous to the longitudinal edges of the tongues.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a box strap consisting of united sections of metal, each of said sections having a tongue at one end of less width than the end of the adjacent section to which it is united, and longitudinally extending Wires positioned within the respective curled edges of said strip at the joints thereof and contacting with the longitudinal edges of said tongues.

3. Box strapping comprising a series of sheet metal lengths united together by lapping joints, the respective side edges of said metal lengths being curled inwardly, and stay wires retained in contact with the strapping by the curled edges thereof, said wires extending across and into contact with the lapped joints for precluding the otherwise free end edges of the metal lengths from bending outwardly relatively to the strapping.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. C. D. MILLER.

Witnesses: I

M. C. RODRI UEZ, CORNELIUS ZABRISKIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." 

